Pup links!

German shepherd in flight. Photo by Flickr user LauraXJayne.

Dog-related links from around the Web this week:

Bonding with Dogs–or Not. Trainer Nicole Wilde reflects on that emotional challenge of not “bonding” with a dog instantaneously. This was encouraging to read. For the first few weeks we had Pyrrha, I didn’t feel really bonded to her–and I felt really guilty about that. My deep and sincere attachment to her has, of course, grown over time, but it’s nice to hear someone admit that it’s not always immediate. (Wilde About Dogs)

State of Pet Health Report 2012. Well, this is really dismal. Banfield’s annual assessment of pet health has recently come out and the results are rather disappointing. For instance, obesity among household cats has risen by 90% since last year. Gross and sad. There are also some interesting trends here: Pets are fattest in Minnesota, South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. What’s curious is that these states have low obesity rates for humans (Colorado has the lowest obesity rate in the country). So, what’s happening here? I don’t know, but it is a sad state of affairs for American pets. (Victoria Stilwell)

What Shape Is Your Dog’s Ear? I had no idea there were so many different names and variations of canine ear shapes! This is a helpful pictorial glossary for those who, like me, are curious. (Psychology Today)

Urban off-leash Shibas (and others). M.C. has collected some great photos and thoughts about how city dogs live elsewhere, like in Taiwan. Very interesting! (The House of Two Bows)

Furminate Me. This post has pretty much convinced me to shell out the cash for a Furminator. I now know all too well that German shepherds take shedding VERY seriously… (Tales and Tails)

Rumble: 8 Weeks! Oh, I am just… consumed with ENVY. Is this not the sweetest Aussie pup you have ever seen?? And he has a tail! Could look at photos of him all day long. (Elite Forces of Fuzzy Destruction)

Dog a Day. Here’s another great dog-a-day project! Illustrator Bethany Ng is drawing every dog in the AKC in her signature, modern style. She just posted the German shepherd dog. Love it! Has she drawn your favorite breed yet? You can also buy her prints here. (Dog a Day)

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. This boy and his dog seemed to have worked out quite a nice symbiotic relationship. (Three Dogs Night)

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Pup links!

Red Aussie puppy. Click for source.

Great dog-related links from around the Web this week:

Dogs in the Workplace. Happy Bring Your Dog to Work day! While my office would frown on dogs in our space, I think Pyrrha would actually do pretty well here, particularly since I have a very quiet department. Did you bring your dog to work? Would you, if your office allowed it? (Pawsh magazine)

Travel 101: Prepping Your Pooch. I found this list of travel preparations from Vanessa–who recently made a cross-country move with her family and dog, Rufus–very helpful. I’m taking a 5-hour trip with Pyrrha in July to visit my parents and many of these tips were really helpful and insightful. Also: Doesn’t Rufus’ travel hammock look so cozy? Now that’s how I want to travel on my next road trip! (The Rufus Way)

No Party Zone. Do you avoid having house guests because of your reactive dog? Kristine shares some thoughts and a recent near-encounter with their future landlord. (Rescued Insanity)

Couldn’t Have Been a Lab; They Don’t Bite. Katie reflects on the dangerous precedent we set by breed stereotyping. Just because a dog is a lab doesn’t mean that it’s incapable of biting or showing aggression toward people. (Save the Pit Bull, Save the World)

Bye-bye, Cesar Millan. Animal rights advocate and professor Marc Bekoff celebrates the news that Cesar Millan’s TV show “The Dog Whisperer” is being cancelled. I for one am glad to hear it. What do you think about it? (The Hydrant)

Stay Away from “Stay” with Fearful Dogs. This is an interesting perspective from a dog trainer who believes that teaching a shy dog to “stay” could actually ratchet up their anxiety levels. Makes sense to me. I’ve been trying to teach it to Pyrrha, and it does actually make her way more nervous than other commands. Maybe we’ll get there eventually. (My Smart Puppy)

Ebon’s Training History. A sweet post charting the evolution of training for a dog over the course of his life. It’s interesting to think about how our dogs change with us as we grow up. (Musings of a Biologist and Dog Lover)

Lessons Learned from Dogs: Morgan and Kuster. Tales and Tails is doing a really sweet series on what she’s learned from her four dogs. Here are the stories from the two more difficult dogs of her pack, the German shepherds. Very heartwarming and well written. (Tales and Tails)

Innovative Ideas: Helping the Homeless and Shelter Dogs. Discussion of a program in San Francisco that would pair homeless youth with shelter dogs. Sounds like a really great idea; looking forward to hearing more about it. (The Bark blog)

Animal Love. Just some pretty, dreamy photos of animals collected by one of my favorite lifestyle/design bloggers. (Miss Moss)

Superdog Lova. Great, playful photographs of this high-energy spaniel. Very sweet. (Ulicam)